Absolutely loved Lavaloha! Our guide, Phil, shared a wealth of information while keeping us totally engaged with his effervescent and entertaining personality. There were multiple samples of chocolate...so tempting and creamy. Their gift shop provided several choices for purchase. We couldn't resist! If you're in the market for a memorable experience...look no further. Lavaloha is the tour for you! read more

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What a great experience from the start to end. It's a must do if you are in the Hilo area! Great small team of people producing great chocolate. read more

We did the morning Tour on a saturday. We were the only ones. We essentially had a private tour and it was amazing. Nick was our guide. He was very patient with us all asking questions before he could get to the info himself (mostly dad was asking too many queation.. Hahaha). The chocolate tasting was the highlight as well as the view from the top! Don't miss out. We were deemed chocolate snobs when we left by Nick. Not sure I can ever eat Hersheys again after that tour. Just a suggestion.....milk chocolate orange (wink, wink). read more

A great tour to get a sense of the life cycle of cacao. They tour you around the farm in an open air vehicle (that has a roof as well as side panels, umbrellas and towels should the rain make an appearance) so you have an unencumbered view of the farm around you. Nick gave a fantastic tour and has a deep knowledge of the trees, facility and processing- plus he has a great sense of humor! The 3 varieties of cacao are blended masterfully to create delicious chocolates that are available in the gift shop at the end of the tour. We have been here twice so far, and while we certainly come for the chocolate, it's the incredible views from the hills above Hilo. Come visit and drink it ALL in! Finally, be sure to visit their little sunken garden off the parking area and enjoy the peace, the green and the duck! read more

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Here's what you need to know: terrific experience doing a farm tour and tasting at Lavaloha. Great tour guide who was charming and knowledgeable. The tasting of the cacao fruit was such an awesome eye opener to chocolate. The gorgeous views, the weather, the quality of chocolate and the tour all make for a paradise like experience. Reasonably priced tour experience and while the chocolate is expensive, it's certainly worth a visit to this farm atop the mountain. Oh, and it's a beautiful drive into the mountains... read more

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Jess was an awesome tour guide! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and had lots of samples. Highly recommended and will definitely bring out of state guests. 12 year olds comment..."best chocolate ever" read more

We're on a quick weekend trip from O'ahu and just randomly found this place. We were able to get same day tour reservations (thank goodness-but don't recommend banking on that). We were not disappointed at all. The farm is beautiful, and the tour guides were so knowledgeable, funny and engaging. As other reviewers mentioned, you get to stop the tour in the middle of the farm where they will open a cacao pod, showing you all the cacao seeds inside. You then get to test taste them! This is later followed by seeing how these seeds are processed, a visit to the "chocolate lounge" for more learning and taste testing (yum!), finally ending back at the visitor center/gift shop. This is a small, locally-owned farm. All off the grid. You can tell these are down-to-earth, humble and hard working folks, and I was so happy to support their business. I'll definitely be back to visit again. Mahalo! read more

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This was a super great tour, super nice employees, the chocolate tasted great, the cacao farm and pods where beautiful. What an incredible farm and experience. Jess, our tour guide, did a great job! (Our kids wrote this review and we whole heartedly agree with it). read more

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Wonderful tour, chocolate, experience. Tour guides are fun and knowledgeable. The chocolate is awesome!!

Very informative tour. Beautiful farm.Friendly staff. We got to taste the cacao fruit , different kinds of farm produced chocolate. Highly recommend for chocolate lovers! read more

From my ten year old: "It was an amazing amazing tour. Samples were great, chocolate was great! PS Note to Lexi: you're an amazing tour guide!" read more

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AMAZING! All local operated, and the quality of chocolate is PHENOMENAL! Nick was an amazing tour guide, very knowledgeable and humorous. read more

Lavaloha - View from the gift shop! - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Their chocolate farm is amazing! Jess, our tour guide, has a great bubbly personality and was very knowledgable in all areas of the farm and process it takes to produce chocolate from the cacao. We got to sample various types of their chocolate to taste the differences in each percentage of cacao. We even got to pick the fruit and taste the beans right out of it! Their milk chocolate with vanilla is the best! We had a great time and will definitely be back in the future. read more

Lavaloha - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Aloha ! We visited the farm, on our stay here on the island, and it was a very sweet and memorable experience! Lexi, our tour guide, was such a lovely, knowledgeable person! She definitely knew her way around the farm , with a twist of humor ! Their chocolate is so tasty, from the white to the very dark ones ! We definitely loved the raw cacao beans we were offered to taste ( my boyfriend finished the whole thing after haha) Definitely recommended, and we ll be back to visit P.S they also have all their delicious chocolates for purchase, in their gift shop, which is a plus . Also, a cacao scented candle, that you just want a bite of because it smells so good !! read more

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Leigh was a fantastic guide, giving us her undivided attention and energy for an hour. This was a true value at the price, and we learned, experienced, and tasted so much. Very much worth the price of admission, probably the best tour we had during our 2-week vacation! read more

This used to be an easy 5 star tour and stop every time we have guests in town. We would stop to buy chocolate even if we didn't have time for a tour. The new shop set up and packaging was truly disappointing!! The shop used to have the vibe of a truly local spot and their chocolates were phenomenal. The packaging made you know you were getting locally produced chocolate, now it's so generic and looks like it's a bar you can buy anywhere and leaves you wondering if it's truly theirs or just a boxed knock off (luckily it was still as amazing as it was the first time I tried it and why I kept going back). Will definitely think twice before heading back there. read more

What an amazing chocolate and coffee farm, Nick was an outstanding guide. His knowledge and the passion this farm pours into making the best chocolate I have ever tasted.....and I have had some really really expensive chocolate shows!!! They are definitely by far the best. Couple personal favorites were the orange, and sea salt milk chocolate. We have also done other chocolate farm tours and this is by far the best one!! read more

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This place is magnificent!! We took the tour with Jess and it was incredible.We got to see the cocoa fields and plants.We got to try the freshly picked fruit where chocolate comes from!! It was quite the experience... Jess was so full of knowledge and has an infectious enthusiasm, just great!!! We got to try the chocolate products and see how they are harvested and dried out... the whole process..... There is a sunken lava tube that they have a beautiful botanical garden with three ducks living inside!! Don't miss this portion ........ All that was missing was a guy with a Tophat and a cane ....Willy Wonka got nothing on them..... Best accidental find ever..... Hilos super super mega secret !!!! read more

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We had a great time and learned so much! Izzy was a great guide. Who knew cacao seeds were fermented. And, the chocolate was delicious.

This unique chocolate farm has a beautiful view worth at least one star on its own. We were going to go on a tour but when we got there the next tour wasn't for another 45 minutes. We did not want to wait around so we bought several bags of assorted chocolates and left. The chocolate was alright. The white chocolate with the regular chocolate pieces in it was my favorite. The salted chocolate was also okay. It is pretty expensive. Worth at least one visit. read more

My husband and I went on a chocolate tour today with guide Jess. We had a great time learning about the history of the farm and how chocolate is made. We also got to taste the delicious chocolate (they were all really yummy). If you're looking for a fun activity in Hilo, this should be on your list! read more

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What a fun little tour just outside of Hilo. Our guide was knowledgable and friendly and had great information on the chocolate making process. The tour ends of course with some delicious samples. Definitely worth the time! read more

A gem, worth the long drive up to Lavaloha. We enjoyed the chocolate tour, our guide was well informed, funny, and provided an interactive tour, learned about the chocolate-making process from tree to bar! The chocolate sampling and enjoying the beautiful property were the high notes. The chocolate is rich, pure, and smooth, even the milk chocolate is delicious. read more

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We LOVED Lavaloha! Nick was our tour guide and he was funny, friendly and knowledgeable! The chocolate was surprisingly smooth and sweet; who would guess 70% Cocoa chocolate would be so delicious? We learned it's because of the type of beans they use. We had a wonderful time! The farm was beautiful and even the drive up was delightful. We HIGHLY recommend Lavaloha!! read more

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Chocolate was delicious, view spectacular, the tour amazing! A must for all who love chocolate and coffee! read more

Lavaloha - A Gem Guided tour of the chocolate farm with some tasting of its mouthwatering chocolate. Highly recommend. - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Tour guide Lacy was amazing! She answered all our questions, was very good at pointing out all the different plants grown on the farm and introducing us to the process of chocolate from tree to edible product!. We were able to try raw cacao fresh from the tree. We then went to the drying area and saw the beans that were dried and drying. After we tasted the chocolate from liquid to 70% dark chocolate to 50% milk chocolate and finally a latte bar. The entire tour and tasting was well worth the time and money and something that I would do again when on the Big Island! We lived all the flavors and would love to see a mint or peppermint chocolate as well as an orange milk chocolate bar. Loved all the flavors that we tasted! read more

Great tour. Tour guide, Jess, was excellent, well informed, friendly. Had a great time, scenery is fantastic and whole experience was fun.-

This is a bit of a drive but the view is worth it. I had to buy chocolate cuz they are known for it. I probably won't be back. When we arrived we were greeted and given small samples of chocolate. read more

Cool choco farm outside of Hilo. Did the tour - a bit pricey at 40 bucks but worth it. Our guide Phil was awesome. Got to try fresh cacao off the tree and learn about the chocolate making process. Oh and the samples. Sooooo goood read more

My husband and I got a tour of the cocoa orchard and the processing areas. The tour was engaging and fun for all ages (props to tour guide Phil). They do a really good job of giving you an understanding of how chocolate is made, from planting to packaging and everything in between! And it included tasting fresh cocoa right off the tree as well as yummy chocolate. It was exceptional! Highly recommend!! read more

Lavaloha - Drying room - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Highly recommend this. Very informative, beautiful surroundings, chocolate tastings were not only some of the best chocolate I've had but also so interesting to understand the subtleties that I'm tasting. Phil was a super guide, putting the whole chocolate process in layman terms and an entertainer to boot. Would definitely do this again. read more

Such a fun, educational, hands on tour for young kids. Really appreciate that it was a mostly golf cart ride since the kids are so tired of treks at this point. Got to learn about the process, taste about 7 samples of chocolate, and offering of apple bananas and Brazilian grapes. And ate the cocoa fruit. We all got a kick out of feeding the silken chickens in the beautiful sunken gardens. Greeter Kylie, tour guide Derek, and all staff were very friendly. read more

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Great tour. Phil was a very entertaining and knowledgeable guide. Chocolate was some of the best I've ever had. Would do again! -D read more

Loved our tour! Leigh was great with her light hearted and comedic tour. It was also her bday when she gave the tour so extra special day! And I love how simple and local the feel of the tour was. Didn't feel like I'm being sold a Hershey brand. Also I've been lied to my whole life regarding how white chocolate taste like, just saying... lavaloha INFORMED me in the right path haha. And they mold the chocolate in these cute heart shaped chocolate samples! Imagine the effort! Highly suggest! Support! Also, would love to see a coffee bar in the future, since coffee is being grown there. Coffee plus own chocolate to make the perfect mochas from lavaloha! Chef kiss ‍ read more

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You order tickets online at specific times if you want to do the 60-90min. Chocolate tour at $40 a pop. We didn't have enough time the day we went, but our friends will go next time they're on the Big Island in Hilo area. The drive to the farm is gorgeous with lots of Okinawan potatoes being grown as well. You'll also spot Cacao trees, too - it was so cool seeing the pods growing from the tree. At the gift shop, we got to sample mini heart shaped milk, dark chocolate and white chocolate. It was delicious-we learned how they used very few ingredients to make their chocolate. The downtown views from the back of the gift shop was gorgeous coupled with a short walk to what used to be an active lava tube is now a lush spot full of tropical plants/trees. read more

This was such a fun tour! Lexi was a great tour guide and "white chocolate" was a great welcoming host and salesman in the store helping us with recommendations. We learned so much and tasted the delicious chocolate. The farm is beautiful and the chickens like to ride on the cart for the tour as well so ensure you invite them aboard! read more

Lavaloha - The orchard - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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So glad we decided to do the tour ! Amazingly beautiful location , will remember this for a long time . My boys ages 11 and 9 were engaged and excited . Our tour guide, White Chocolate, was extremely knowledgeable and fun . I would highly recommend this to anyone ! read more

Lavaloha - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Jess was an awesome tour guide! She is so enthusiastic and knowledgeable- it was awesome to see how chocolate is made! The samples were delicious too read more

Lavaloha - Cacao fruit! - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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If you're looking for a Hawai'i experience that is literally off the beaten path, come visit the Lavaloha cacao farm. Not only will you see a working farm, you will also learn how chocolate is made and get to try a bit. Pro tip: buy some to go home in the gift shop! Our guide Lexi was very nice. read more

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Wonderful tour of the farm guided by Lexi. Very informative and multiple chocolate samples. Great store with plenty to buy: dark, milk, coffee, vanilla, orange, white chocolates and much more. A little out of the way to get to but well worth it. read more

Lavaloha - Cocao beans drying after fermenting. - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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